Body of evidence shows that it pays to cover up

By David Brown in WashingtonMay 5 2003

Most American soldiers who suffered life-threatening wounds in combat in Iraq were hit in the limbs, not the torso - a finding that suggests the body armour worn by all soldiers is remarkably effective.

The first look at the injured soldiers found that 58 per cent were wounded in the hands, feet, arms or legs. Only 9 per cent were injured in the abdomen, chest, back or groin.

The findings are based on a study of 118 army troops who suffered battlefield injuries severe enough to require evacuation to Europe or the United States.

It is clear that most of those killed died of chest, abdominal or head injuries beyond protection by special vests and helmets.

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However, since the invention of gunpowder few devices have been able to stand up to explosives and bullets. This appears no longer to be true.

"The few truncal injuries seen so far in the Iraq operation indicate the effectiveness of body armour," said Colonel Terry Walters, a medical expert.

In the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the first in which all US troops wore body armour, soldiers wore vests made of the synthetic fabric Kevlar. These were capable of stopping shell and grenade fragments and, when fitted with ceramic plates, could stop bullets. But the fully loaded vests weighed 11 kilograms apiece and were used only in unusual circumstances, generally by special operations troops.

In subsequent actions in the Balkans and in Afghanistan, combat units were fitted with vests that became better and lighter. They are now routinely worn with ceramic plates and

weigh little more than seven kilograms.

Even in situations in which blast injuries were fatal, the effectiveness of the body armour was evident, said the chief medical examiner for the armed forces, Commander Craig Mallak of the navy.

"We've seen injury patterns where the truncal area is protected while there are shrapnel wounds to the head and extremities," he said.

Compared with data from the first Gulf War, the latest findings also reveal a dramatic reversal in the ratio of combat to non-combat casualties.

Twelve years ago 50 per cent more soldiers died in accidents (235) than in battle (147). In the recent war, there were only a third as many non-combat fatalities (36) as deaths in battle (101).